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Anyone else noticing anything that's not normal this year?

I know last year, it was such a warm winter, bees swarmed earlier... mine did on March 17th. This year we just started having temps in the lower 50's, upper 40's in the last 2 weeks. I am still seeing drones, and my bees are coming out feeding at 46 degrees....and drinking water out of the black bedliner of my truck. Now I have seen a few workers trying to throw some drones out a couple of weeks ago, but not lately. I know I have a mite problem, I have been seeing a few bees with deformed wings, workers tossing them out of the hive. I even found a few white larva that had been thrown out of the hive, the eye just starting to turn color. I thought the queen wouldn't be laying this time of year?

Re: Anyone else noticing anyhing that's not normal this year?

Originally Posted by Beewildered61

I know last year, it was such a warm winter, bees swarmed earlier... mine did on March 17th. This year we just started having temps in the lower 50's, upper 40's in the last 2 weeks. I am still seeing drones, and my bees are coming out feeding at 46 degrees....and drinking water out of the black bedliner of my truck. Now I have seen a few workers trying to throw some drones out a couple of weeks ago, but not lately. I know I have a mite problem, I have been seeing a few bees with deformed wings, workers tossing them out of the hive. I even found a few white larva that had been thrown out of the hive, the eye just starting to turn color. I thought the queen wouldn't be laying this time of year?

With you being in GA and the temps being what you describe I have no problem believing the queen is still laying. With what you describe about the DWV and them pulling larva you might want to consider a treatment for mites. My preferred would be oxalic acid vaporization 3 times a week apart. Make sure to wear a mask and stay upwind of the pipe (if that was method you choose). You would want to pick days that are 50ish and the bees are flying. The tough part (not normal) about this year here is with the drought the bees had a hard time putting on weight even with feeding and we are actually having some cold weather (light hive and cold what a bad combo).

Re: Anyone else noticing anyhing that's not normal this year?

Everything is constantly evolving, changing and adapting, we just have to adjust in tune with our surroundings, I feel with the honey bee, that so many things disrupted the natural evolution, now there is a vast amount of bee keepers that are adjusting and / or trying too, as the bees slowly and more times than we may think, actually make it back to a cycle of life that they dictate and bring more balance in the man and bee relationship.

Re: Anyone else noticing anyhing that's not normal this year?

Re: Anyone else noticing anyhing that's not normal this year?

I don't know if this is strange or not, but a friend of mine in SC has seen green pollen coming in recently. He thinks that green pollen is from Maple. Seems like there is almost always something in bloom in SC, even if one never sees it. The bees find it some how.

Re: Anyone else noticing anyhing that's not normal this year?

We had 70's and even an 80 degree day last spring for a whole week during the maple bloom, so ran out and put on a medium super on my strongest hives and they actually filled them with honey, just about pure maple honey, with possibly a few other large trees blooming at the same time contributing nectar. It definitely tasted different than any honey I usually get during the late spring/summer. I think we could be in for another spring like last year, so I will be more prepared for it. John

Re: Anyone else noticing anyhing that's not normal this year?

Originally Posted by sqkcrk

I don't know if this is strange or not, but a friend of mine in SC has seen green pollen coming in recently. He thinks that green pollen is from Maple. Seems like there is almost always something in bloom in SC, even if one never sees it. The bees find it some how.

Hey sqkcrk, you may want to tell your friend about this site:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollen_source
I've been using it to help ID the pollen coming in. Looks like it could be Box Elder, which is in the Maple family.

Re: Anyone else noticing anyhing that's not normal this year?

I think abnormal is normal. For instance, where I live the average rainfall is 24 inches per year, but we almost never have 24 inches of rain in one year. Four years back our area received 33 inches of rain, and the weeds and brush grew to enormous heights. Last year the rainfall was 12 inches and we were in a drought, in fact a 100 year drought. I think we confuse average with normal. As stated above, the average rainfall in my area is 24 inches, but when it actually happens, it is an anomaly.

Re: Anyone else noticing anyhing that's not normal this year?

Originally Posted by lazy shooter

I think abnormal is normal. For instance, where I live the average rainfall is 24 inches per year, but we almost never have 24 inches of rain in one year. Four years back our area received 33 inches of rain, and the weeds and brush grew to enormous heights. Last year the rainfall was 12 inches and we were in a drought, in fact a 100 year drought. I think we confuse average with normal. As stated above, the average rainfall in my area is 24 inches, but when it actually happens, it is an anomaly.

My point exactly. Droughts, deluges, extremes of heat and of cold are all normally occurring phenomena. Calculating all these extremes is how we come up with an average. It would be nice if averages were the expected norms but such is not the reality of weather. Every year is unique.

"People will generally accept facts as truth only if the facts agree with what they already believe."- Andy Rooney

Re: Anyone else noticing anyhing that's not normal this year?

Originally Posted by jim lyon

My point exactly. Droughts, deluges, extremes of heat and of cold are all normally occurring phenomena. Calculating all these extremes is how we come up with an average. It would be nice if averages were the expected norms but such is not the reality of weather. Every year is unique.

In the scheme of the Cosmos, our weather for a given year is simply a data point, part of a graph of long cycles that include incredible extremes.

The long cycle I learned about this year having a great affect on honey bees was the 200,000 year weather cycle of the Sahara desert. According to recently discovered African weather patterns, the Sahara has gone back and forth from desert to tropical weather on a 200,000 year cycle for millions of years. Keep in mind that today's honey bees originated in, or very near, the Saharan desert region. Imagine what that has done to the Apis Millifera managing to stay alive through such horrendous changes, no wonder some of them are pretty cranky.

The data of our life time is just a data point on the graph of history.

Re: Anyone else noticing anyhing that's not normal this year?

Not necessarily graphing things out here....what I mean is things that are not "average"? For instance, we also had a dry spring, so the nectar flow was somewhat short and quick....my veggie garden was a complete loss. I replanted some of it, for the third time. The only thing I had that did ok was onions, bell and hot peppers. Everyone I talked to in my area said the same thing, no one had any tomatoes much, and most gardens didn't do well.
And it seems we had a slow starting winter, as far as frost and such.... temps took their time getting down to what is "normal". We didn't even have the heat we normally do in the summer....